1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.
2. Related Art
An ink jet printer is a known example of a recording apparatus that records images, characters, or the like by ejecting fluid onto recording media. In this ink jet printer, when, for example, water-based pigment ink (fluid) that needs drying by evaporation is used, a heating device needs to be provided in order to dry the ink ejected onto a recording medium.
JP-A-2006-224460 discloses an exemplary apparatus of related art. In the apparatus, a halogen heater radiatively heats a region of a recording medium in which recording has been performed by an ink jet head, so that ink deposited onto the recording medium is promptly dried so as to suppress aggregation, spreading or the like of the ink, thereby allowing a high-quality print to be provided. An infrared heater, such as the halogen heater, has the following advantages. The method using an infrared heater exhibits thermal responsiveness that is superior to that used in the case of heating the recording medium from the rear surface side thereof by using heat conduction. The infrared heater can be used regardless of the thickness of the recording medium because it directly, radiatively heats the recording surface of the recording medium. In addition, the infrared heater exhibits a property of energy thereof easily penetrating a coating formed by ink drying.
In the known technique, the ink jet head is disposed between a platen which supports the recording medium and the infrared heater which is the heating device that heats the recording medium supported on the platen, and ink is ejected onto the recording medium on the platen. One of the reasons for the arrangement is that it is more preferable to have a smaller distance between the infrared heater and an object to be heated, in view of energy efficiency.
In an ink system including the ink jet head, temperature control is necessary such that ink can circulate without becoming viscous and solid. However, when the ink jet head is disposed between the platen and the heating device, the ink jet head is heated, and there may be such a high temperature gradient that the temperature control does not work. The occurrence of a high temperature gradient also increases the gradient of the ink viscosity, thereby causing ink ejection failure.